John,

You may have heard by now that Trump is accepting a $400 million plane from Qatar — a “palace in the sky,” as many have called it.

Trump has received a lot of criticism since, and he’s responded to it by saying he’d be “stupid” to turn down a kind “gesture” like this, as if this is somehow equivalent to someone holding the door open for him at the grocery store or offering him a ride home.

This isn’t just a simple gesture, John. This is blatantly illegal. The Constitution prohibits federal officials — including the President of the United States — from accepting gifts from foreign governments without Congressional approval.

The Trump administration has tried to defend this move by pointing to a memo signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi declaring the acceptance of the plane as legal. There are two problems with that: 1) Pam Bondi has demonstrated time and time again that her loyalty lies with serving as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer instead of defending the Constitution and her oath of office, and 2) Bondi previously served as a lobbyist for… you guessed it, Qatar.

Bondi may not see a problem with this (just as she doesn’t see a problem with any of the corruption coming out of the White House), but the Emoluments Clause was put in the Constitution for a very simple reason: To make sure that every action taken by the President of the United States was done on behalf of the American people and not influenced by extravagant gifts from foreign governments.

This very well may be the largest gift ever received by any federal official, but it doesn’t end here. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from Qatar for his investments. His sons, Don Jr. and Eric, are also receiving a ton of money from Qatar for an investment in a new golf course.

Meanwhile, air travel in the United States is plagued by collisions and near misses, radar and power outages, high fares, and hidden fees. Prices are way too high. But Trump isn’t focused on your air travel — he’s focused on his. And apparently, Air Force One is just not gilded enough for his taste.

Donald Trump is busy making deals, John — not for you or your family, but for himself. I’m working around the clock to fight back against his corruption and hold him accountable. If you support this work, please pitch in today.

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Thank you,

Adam